Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

Unit Outline

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Trimester 1, 2015

Unit study package code:

MGMT5020

Mode of study:

Internal

Tuition pattern summary:

Note: For any specific variations to this tuition pattern and for precise information refer to
the Learning Activities section.
Lecture: 3 x 1 Hours Weekly
This unit does not have a fieldwork component.

Credit Value:

25.0

Pre-requisite units:

Nil

Co-requisite units:

Nil

Anti-requisite units:

Nil

Result type:

Grade/Mark

Approved incidental fees:

Information about approved incidental fees can be obtained from our website. Visit
fees.curtin.edu.au/incidental_fees.cfm for details.

Unit coordinator:

Title:
Name:
Phone:
Email:
Building:
Room:

Dr
Paul Alexander
+618 9266 9666
P.Alexander@cbs.curtin.edu.au
P01
316

Teaching Staff:

Margot Stacy Javillo

08 9266 1205
Margot.Javillo@curtin.edu.au
P01
116B

Administrative contact:

Name:
Phone:
Email:
Building:
Room:

Learning Management System:

Blackboard (lms.curtin.edu.au)

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 1 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge the Indigenous Elders, custodians, their descendants and kin of this land past and present.

Syllabus
The overall aim of this unit is to provide a professional level of understanding and critical analysis of contract and procurement
management, procurement decision making and policy development. This is a cross-disciplinary area of academic and practitioner
practice and research and focuses on the area of strategic procurement examining competitive tendering and contracting models
and processes, risk management, the interface with project management, outsourcing and the associated growth of services
contracting, long term contract and relationship management, and a continuing overview of current and future international
developments in the field.

Introduction
Contract & Procurement Optimisation 501 is delivered face to face for Trimester 1, 2015.
This unit focuses on the strategic and tactical issues that assist or hinder the achievement of quality outcomes in procurement. It is
structured around, and reinforces the principals of contracting and procurement and is suitable for both students who have had
limited exposure to this field and for those already more familiar with contracting or procurement. A key theme will be the
achievement of relevance throughout the organisation, including at board level

Unit Learning Outcomes

All graduates of Curtin University achieve a set of nine graduate attributes during their course of study. These tell an employer that,
through your studies, you have acquired discipline knowledge and a range of other skills and attributes which employers say would
be useful in a professional setting. Each unit in your course addresses the graduate attributes through a clearly identified set of
learning outcomes. They form a vital part in the process referred to as assurance of learning. The learning outcomes tell you what
you are expected to know, understand or be able to do in order to be successful in this unit. Each assessment for this unit is carefully
designed to test your achievement of one or more of the unit learning outcomes. On successfully completing all of the assessments
you will have achieved all of these learning outcomes.
Your course has been designed so that on graduating we can say you will have achieved all of Curtin's Graduate Attributes through
the assurance of learning process in each unit.
Graduate Attributes
addressed

On successful completion of this unit students can:

1 Describe the nature of strategic procurement and its relationship to the strategic direction of the
organisation
2 Identify international and local sourcing options and the associated advantages and risks
3 Apply risk profiles to the management of procurement and manage the conduct of appropiate "due
diligence"
4 Critically evaluate success factors associated with strategic procurement and their application to specialist
procurement issues (e-procurement, outsourcing, public-private partnerships)
5 Demonstrate the leadership capacity to develop, implement and manage strategic procurement initiatives

Curtin's Graduate Attributes

Apply discipline knowledge

Thinking skills

Information skills

(use analytical skills to solve problems)

(confidence to investigate new ideas)

Communication skills

Technology skills

International perspective

Cultural understanding

(value the perspectives of others)

(value the perspectives of others)

Learning how to learn

(apply principles learnt to new situations)
(confidence to tackle unfamiliar problems)

Professional Skills
(work independently and as a team)
(plan own work)

Find out more about Curtin's Graduate attributes at the Office of Teaching & Learning website: ctl.curtin.edu.au

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 2 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

Learning Activities
The Learning Activities in this unit consist of a blend of individual and group research activities combined with a strongly interactive
online environment. The textbook and unit resources provide a wide-ranging introduction to the broad theoretical principles
applicable to contracting and procurement and thereafter students are invited to explore their areas of interest. There is a major
focus in this unit on quality online discussions that provide an instrument for investigating specific areas of theory and practice of
interest to the student body. The assessments are designed to encourage the students to focus their research in directions that
particularly interest them or are of substantial applicability to their workplaces.

Learning Resources
Essential texts
The required textbook(s) for this unit are:
l

The required textbook for this unit is:

Sollish, F. & Semanik, J., The Procurement and Supply Manager's Desk Reference, + Website, 2nd Ed. 978-1-118-13009-4.
It is has been chosen to serve as a source for material covered in this unit, and is cross-referenced in the slide and other
materials delivered. After the unit is finished, the text will remain as a useful reference source for future procurement needs.
Textbooks may be purchased at the Curtin Bookshop on the Bentley campus or ordered online through its website:
http://www.bookshop.curtin.edu.au/. The Bookshop offers a special service to CGSB students whereby books ordered online
can be delivered to the CGSB Student Services (front desk) for collection. Please remember to request this service when
ordering.
The textbook is also readily available from amazon.com, the book depository, ebay and other on-line booksellers. Students
are encouraged to explore these options early, as they are now a viable, reliable and cost-effective alternative.
Note also that this textbook is new for this Trimester.

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 3 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

Assessment
Assessment schedule
Task

Value %

Unit Learning
Outcome(s)
Assessed

Critical Analysis

25 percent

Week: part 1 due 22nd 2,3,4

Feb, part 2 due 8th Mar
Day: SUN
Time: 11:59pm

Research report

25 percent

Week: 5th April

Day: Sun
Time: 11:59pm

1,4,5

Case study

50 percent

Week: 29th Mar

Day: Sun
Time: 11:59pm

1,2,4

Date Due

Detailed information on assessment tasks

1. Assessment 1 Individual Online Discussion (25%), part 1 due 22nd Feb, part 2 due 8th Mar
Assessment 1 is an individual assessment in two parts. The intention of this assessment is twofold:
1.
2.

To encourage critical thinking through analysis of the course material in the context of events occurring in the local or
global marketplaces; and
To improve learning outcomes for all students through encouraging high quality and active online class participation.

Part 1 - Original Discussion

You are required to select and upload an article from the popular media on a topic relevant to contracting and procurement
theory. You will then use this article to frame your original discussion. The following points apply to this original discussion:
Select an article on a topic that is within the scope of this unit, interests you and/or is relevant to your employment. Articles can
be sourced from respected magazines, such as the Economist, or tabloid newspapers, however they are not to be academic
journal articles.
You must upload the article to the discussion forum between 2nd Feb to 8th Feb (1 week).
You may not post duplicate or similar articles. If another person has already posted such an article, you must select a different
one and repost it. This process will be monitored by the lecturer to ensure everything goes smoothly.
From 9th Feb to 22nd Feb (2 weeks), you will post supporting information for the article.
Supporting information is: a clear summary of the article in the context of contracting and procurement, discuss why you chose
it, and then highlight the contracting and procurement theory to which it relates. This should include a critical analysis of the
views presented in the article versus the identified theory. References are required to show where you sourced the information.
Your discussion should contain the quantity of material you would be able to present in five minutes if you were delivering it
via a verbal presentation. Be brief and concise, and use tools such as bullet points to break up the text. You may want to type
this up first in a word document and then copy and paste it in the discussion room. Quality and critical thinking are important
to your assessment. Long rambling entries are discouraged. When loading your article ensure that the format allows it to be
read by all students. Note that a sample article and discussion will be provided in advance by the lecturer as a guide.
Part 2 - Discussion Comments on another students article:
From 23rd Feb to 8th Mar (2 weeks), you will comment on the original article and topics of one other student. If that discussion
generates more postings, you must follow through any discussions that are occurring. Useful postings occurring before 2nd
Mar will attract bonus points. This is to ensure that the cohort can have a meaningful discussion through to the end of the
second week. In other words, if you want to have a great dialogue about the topic, the earlier everyone posts their views, the
better the dialogue will be because people will have more time to discuss (and the better your marks will be).
Please be succinct, when commenting on the contributions of others. Again, quality is the focus of our entries, not quantity.
Quality is measured by how well you are able to integrate course materials and your own. Make sure you back up your replies
with views that are referenced through the literature, and/or through personal experiences.

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 4 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

The discussion and articles as they stand at 11:59 Sun 8th Mar will be assessed according to a detailed marking guide, which
will be available on BB in the Assessments section.
2. Assessment 2 Group Report (25%), due 5th April
Assessment 2 is a Group assessment designed to develop research and analysis skills and an in-depth understanding of an
important contemporary contracting/procurement topic. This assessment requires students to work together to complete a
complex and significant project, demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of an issue, undertake a critical analysis,
and provide recommendations.
The assessment will be written in the format of a white paper. Detailed format guidelines will be provided on BB. The white
paper will address the following:
Background
Over the last 12 months Australian business has been facing major global changes that have fundamental effects on all aspects
of business operations, sales and supply chain, including procurement. While some changes may be the result of temporary
situations, others reflect fundamental alterations of the business environment.
The most dramatic changes and these effect all Australian businesses relate to the change in value and stability of the
Australian dollar, and the very significant changes in commodity prices for minerals and energy. These changes are themselves
a reflection of other changes in the global environment, impacted by many and varied factors including (but not limited to)
changing demand by major exporters (eg. China), changes in the economy of significant buyer/seller blocks (eg. European
Union and United States), political variations (eg. Syria and Iraq), changing technologies (eg. the large scale production of
shale oil, and the lowering cost of solar power), and environmental considerations (eg. global climate change).
Within this environment, and focusing on these factors, your company has commissioned you to develop procurement
guidelines that can optimize outcomes. The horizon for these guidelines will be 5 years.
The assignment
Your group will select an industry that you are familiar with (or one you will research in detail). You may write from the
perspective of a representative company in that industry to avoid commercial sensitivities.
You will write a white paper that will:
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Highlight the challenges facing the business in terms of the global changes highlighted in the previous paragraph, and
their impact on functions within the business.
Detail the impact of these changes on the procurement aspects of the business.
You will provide a procurement framework and recommendations that can address these new factors, and this climate
in general.
You will highlight the benefits of using this framework and any competitive advantages that can be made of it.

Your white paper must be structured according to a format that will be provided on BB, and it must take an analytical
approach. That is, you must objectively demonstrate your points. Your recommendations should be quantitative where this is
appropriate. While you must support your recommendations with academic and conceptual arguments, you should ensure
your framework and recommendations are directly usable and applicable. Length will be 30 pages maximum, including tables
and figures, but may include appendices if you think they are needed and they are used appropriately.
Detailed assignment requirements and background by the start of week 4. The assignment will be due 11:59pm Sun 5th Apr.
This allows 9 weeks for completion
A detailed assessment guide will be available through Blackboard.
3. Assessment 3 Strategic Essay or Report (50%), due 29th Mar
Assessment 3 is an individual written assessment designed to develop research and analysis skills and an in-depth
understanding of an important contemporary contracting/procurement topic. This assessment requires students to
demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of an issue, undertake a critical analysis, and provide recommendations.
Background
Look at this article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-05-25/34636
It describes an Auditors Report on the acquisition of a lightweight torpedo replacement project, which outlines many
mistakes made in the procurement process.
The assignment
Using the principals you have learnt in this unit. Answer the following questions:

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 5 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

1.
2.
3.

What are the procurement problems you found in this case

For each problem you found, what solution would have prevented it.
Discuss the complications that large, nationally important projects impose on the procurement process.

The report will be approximately 15 Pages in length. Support your work with at least 10 external references (in addition to the
text book), which may include concepts or processes that were not adhered to, examples, or anything else that will help
support your work.
A detailed marking guide will be available through Blackboard.
This assignment is due 11:59pm Sun 29th Mar.

Pass requirements
To pass this unit, the student must obtain 50% or greater overall for the unit, and attempt and pass each of the assessments.

Fair assessment through moderation

Moderation describes a quality assurance process to ensure that assessments are appropriate to the learning outcomes, and that
student work is evaluated consistently by assessors. Minimum standards for the moderation of assessment are described in the
Assessment and Student Progression Manual, available from policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/teachingandlearning.cfm

Late assessment policy

This ensures that the requirements for submission of assignments and other work to be assessed are fair, transparent, equitable, and
that penalties are consistently applied.
1.
2.

All assessments students are required to submit will have a due date and time specified on this Unit Outline.
Students will be penalised by a deduction of ten percent per calendar day for a late assessment submission (eg a mark
equivalent to 10% of the total allocated for the assessment will be deducted from the marked value for every day that the
assessment is late). This means that an assessment worth 20 marks will have two marks deducted per calendar day late. Hence
if it was handed in three calendar days late and given a mark of 16/20, the student would receive 10/20. An assessment more
than seven calendar days overdue will not be marked and will receive a mark of 0.

Assessment extension
A student unable to complete an assessment task by/on the original published date/time (eg examinations, tests) or due date/time
(eg assignments) must apply for an assessment extension using the Assessment Extension form (available from the Forms page at
students.curtin.edu.au/administration/) as prescribed by the Academic Registrar. It is the responsibility of the student to demonstrate
and provide evidence for exceptional circumstances beyond the student's control that prevent them from completing/submitting the
assessment task.
The student will be expected to lodge the form and supporting documentation with the unit coordinator before the assessment
date/time or due date/time. An application may be accepted up to five working days after the date or due date of the assessment
task where the student is able to provide an acceptable explanation as to why he or she was not able to submit the application prior
to the assessment date. An application for an assessment extension will not be accepted after the date of the Board of Examiners'
meeting.

Deferred assessments
If your results show that you have been granted a deferred assessment you should immediately check your OASIS email for details.

Supplementary assessments
Supplementary assessments are not available in this unit.

Referencing style
The referencing style for this unit is Chicago.
More information can be found on this style from the Library web site: library.curtin.edu.au.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism occurs when work or property of another person is presented as one's own, without appropriate acknowledgement or
referencing. Plagiarism can also involve self-plagiarism, that is, submitting ones own previously assessed work for assessment
without appropriate acknowledgement. Curtin does not allow a student to submit work that has been previously submitted and/or
MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation
Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 6 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

assessed for (a) another unit or (b) for a previous attempt at the assessment task for the same unit. Work submitted may be
subjected to a plagiarism detection process, which may include the use of systems such as Turnitin. Plagiarism is a serious offence.
For more information, including student guidelines for avoiding plagiarism, refer to the Academic Integrity tab in Blackboard or
academicintegrity.curtin.edu.au.

Additional information
Enrolment
It is your responsibility to ensure that your enrolment is correct - you can check your enrolment through the eStudent option on
OASIS, where you can also print an Enrolment Advice.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of every student to be aware of all relevant legislation, policies and procedures relating to their rights and
responsibilities as a student. These include:
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the Student Charter

the University's Guiding Ethical Principles
the University's policy and statements on plagiarism and academic integrity
copyright principles and responsibilities
the University's policies on appropriate use of software and computer facilities

Information on all these things is available through the University's "Student Rights and Responsibilities website at:
students.curtin.edu.au/rights.

Student Equity
There are a number of factors that might disadvantage some students from participating in their studies or assessments to the best
of their ability, under standard conditions. These factors may include a disability or medical condition (e.g. mental illness, chronic
illness, physical or sensory disability, learning disability), significant family responsibilities, pregnancy, religious practices, living in a
remote location or another reason. If you believe you may be unfairly disadvantaged on these or other grounds please contact
Student Equity at eesj@curtin.edu.au or go to http://eesj.curtin.edu.au/student_equity/index.cfm for more information
You can also contact Counselling and Disability services: http://www.disability.curtin.edu.au or the Multi-faith services:
http://unilife.curtin.edu.au/diversity_and_faith/faith_services.htm for further information.
It is important to note that the staff of the university may not be able to meet your needs if they are not informed of your individual
circumstances so please get in touch with the appropriate service if you require assistance. For general wellbeing concerns or advice
please contact Curtin's Student Wellbeing Advisory Service at:
http://life.curtin.edu.au/health-and-wellbeing/student_wellbeing_service.htm

Recent unit changes

We welcome feedback as one way to keep improving this unit. Students are encouraged to provide unit feedback through eVALUate,
Curtin's online student feedback system (see evaluate.curtin.edu.au/info/).
To view previous student feedback about this unit, search for the Unit Summary Report at
evaluate.curtin.edu.au/student/unit_search.cfm. See evaluate.curtin.edu.au to find out when you can eVALUate
this unit.
Recent changes to this unit include:
Improvements to online materials and changes to assessment structure

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 7 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

Program calendar
Week

Week
Beginning

Module Topic

Assessment requirements

Your unit will be

available on
Blackboard from

Read Unit Outline, understand Assessments

and prepare to nominate for discussion
rooms.

12th January 2015

1

19th Jan

Introduction to the
Contracting Process

26th Jan

Procurement
Strategy
Development,
Contracting Options
and Evaluation

Groups for assignment 2 assigned in this

lecture. If you cant attend, make sure you let
the lecturer know.

Strategic Sourcing
and Risk
Management

Assessment 1: Upload article to discussion

(no lecture
this week)
**
3

2nd Feb

board. Opens 2nd Feb. Closes 8th Feb.

Form groups (Assessment 2) in Class

9th Feb

Contract Planning
Assessment 1 post the supporting
Documentation on & information for the article previously posted.
Tender Specification Open 9th Feb (Closes 22nd Feb)

16th Feb

Tender Evaluation
and Performance
Control

Assessment 1 posting of supporting

23rd Feb

Corporate Financial
Considerations &
Due Diligence

Assessment 1 open for discussion comments

from all students. Each student to comment

information closes on 11:59pm Sun 22nd Feb

on ONE other article. Open from 23rd Feb.

(Closes 8th Mar). Postings for articles
attracts bonus points if done before 2nd
Mar.

2nd Mar

Services Contracting
and Outsourcing

Discussion and postings for Assessment 1

closes 11:59 Sun 8th Mar.

9th Mar

Contract
Administration and
Management

16th Mar

Introduction to
Project Manageme
nt and Life Cycle
Costing

10

23rd Mar

Contract
Relationships and
Dispute Resolution

Assessment 3 submitted on Turnitin by

11

30th Mar

Specialist Issues in
Strategic
Procurement

Assessment 2 (Group) submitted on

11:59pm Sun 29th Mar.

Turnitin by 11:59pm 5th Apr

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 8 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS

Curtin Business School (CBS)

Curtin Graduate School of Business

Change
Management,
eProcurement and
Sustainable
Procurement
12

6th Apr
(No Lecture)

Future Trends in
Procurement

Unit Evaluation
Please complete
eVALUate

**
13

13th Apr
(No Lecture)

** Important Note this is a University public holiday, so there will be NO LECTURE in this week. During this week, you will
receive a newsletter and slide set to guide you.

MGMT5020 Contract and Procurement Optimisation

Perth City Campus
07 Jan 2015
Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin Business School (CBS)

Page: 9 of 9
CRICOS Provider Code
WA 00301J, NSW 02637B
The only authoritative version of this Unit Outline is to be found online in OASIS